Indoor Mask Mandates Return To Parts Of Massachusetts: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Monday, July 26. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Parts of the North Shore were hit by a small earthquake early Sunday morning.
• Framingham Public Schools (FPS) on Monday announced a new pilot program coming this fall that will make tampons and pads free for about 400 middle and high school students across the district.
• A tractor trailer crashed into a Braintree home Saturday evening, and police are still working to determine what caused the crash since no one was inside the truck....besides two dogs.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story: Indoor Mask Mandates Return To Cape

As the coronavirus continues its resurgence on Cape Cod, Provincetown officials reimplemented an indoor mask mandate.

The select board and board of health voted unanimously in favor of the mandate in an emergency meeting Sunday. The mandate came after Provincetown COVID-19 cases grew to 430 Saturday. Of those cases, 342 are Massachusetts residents, 153 of whom live in Provincetown.

"We are entering a new stage of COVID," Town Manager Alex Morse said. "COVID, while depressing for many of us, is not going away anytime soon."

Last week the board approved a mask advisory for both inside and outside, but Morse said the advisory wasn't enough to stop the spread.

Read the full story.

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Monday's Other Top Stories

Wake and shake: Parts of the North Shore were hit by a small earthquake early Sunday morning. Peabody — which has dealt with several unexplained loud booms and rumbles in recent months — did experience a legitimate earthquake Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Survey reported the quake measured at a 1.4 magnitude in Peabody 3 miles west of Salem and 3.5 miles south/southwest of Danvers.

Free menstrual products for Framingham students: Soon, every public building in Framingham — from City Hall to schools — will have free menstrual products available for people who need them. Framingham Public Schools (FPS) on Monday announced a new pilot program coming this fall that will make tampons and pads free for about 400 middle and high school students across the district. There's a larger movement in the U.S. to provide menstrual products for free in public restrooms — which advocates say are no less important than seat covers or hand soap.

Two dogs crash truck into Braintree house: A tractor trailer crashed into a Braintree home Saturday evening, and police are still working to determine what caused the crash since no one was inside the truck, besides two dogs. The crash happened around 6:10 p.m., on River Street. Neighbors told WHDH they saw the truck roll down a hill and strike a house. Glenn Fillmore told WCVB he was about to eat dinner when he heard a loud noise. No injuries were reported.

Crimes target Asian victims: Newton police are investigating two anti-Asian hate incidents that took place last week, said mayor Ruthanne Fuller in a statement. The two acts occurred within a 24-hour period, said Fuller. In the first incident, a jogger took a "Stop Asian Hate" sign from a lawn and threw it into the street. In the second, paint was scraped from a Newton Out Doors exhibit that depicts the artist Amanda Beard Garcia's Asian grandmother. The incidents come after five Newton homes were broken into, with all the victims being of Asian descent. Police have been investigating whether the break-ins are racially motivated, but do not have any definitive information yet. Also on Patch: Nazi Graffiti In Lynnfield Park Leaves Police Investigating

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Picture This

"This could have been a lot worse": A street sweeper caught on fire in the middle of the street in Somerville's Assembly Row Sunday morning. Somerville Firefighters Local 76 is saying a tragedy was averted thanks to the efforts of the driver of a street sweeper who saw it was on fire and moved it out of the way of buildings and people.

They Said It

"COVID, while depressing for many of us, is not going away anytime soon."

• Provincetown Town Manager Alex Morse as selectmen reimplemented an indoor mask order in the Cape Cod town Sunday. The mandate came after Provincetown COVID-19 cases grew to 430 Saturday.

In Case You Missed It

Study links higher crime to increased Airbnb listings: Research conducted by Northeastern University professors Daniel O'Brien and Babak Heydari and doctoral candidate Laiyang Ke found that the rise in crime was not due to increased tourism, but rather the undermining of community dynamics. Researchers looked at the number of Airbnb listings in Boston from 2011-2018, as well as 911 calls during that time. "Airbnb prevalence in a neighborhood appears to be associated with increases in violence, but not with public social disorder or private conflict," the study found.

Biden taps Rollins: President Joe Biden nominated Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins for US Attorney of Massachusetts, putting her in line to be the first Black woman to become the state's top federal prosecutor. Rollins, who still must be confirmed by the US Senate, has forged a reputation for progressive criminal justice policies. Her outspoken views have at times drawn the ire of police unions.

By The Numbers

63%: The percentage of the Massachusetts population that had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus as of Thursday. A new study ranked Massachusetts the sixth-safest state during the pandemic.